Friday, April 30, 2010

Defense News: ST. PETERSBURG, Fla., April 30 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- General Dynamics Ordnance and Tactical Systems has been awarded a $3 million contract by the U.S. Marine Corps System Command (MARCORSYSCOM) for a technology demonstration (TD) and evaluation of a new hardware's ability to meet the program requirements for the Mission Payload Module -- Non-Lethal Weapon System (MPM-NLWS). A full-and-open competition will follow the initial technology demonstration phase of this program.

Called the Medusa Weapon System, the new system -- developed by General Dynamics with its subcontractor and partner, ATK Aerospace Systems -- will adapt advanced 66mm grenade and launcher technology to provide improved counter-personnel and non-lethal capabilities that temporarily incapacitate targets through intense light, sound and pressure stimuli.

The Medusa's articulated launcher and fire control system fires a new non-lethal grenade munition with electronic, in-tube, range-programmable fuzing that provides precision placement of the non-lethal effect. The system will provide longer range, greater area coverage, extended duration, lower risk of permanent injury and better scalability of effects over current non-lethal weapon systems. The Medusa system is also capable of launching the current inventory of 66mm non-lethal and obscuration-effect grenades and will be integrated onto the Marine Corps Transparent Armor Gun Shield (MCTAGS), ballistic-glass shields which are used to protect service members in close urban environments.

General Dynamics Ordnance and Tactical Systems, a business unit of General Dynamics (NYSE:GD - News), is a world leader in the manufacture of large-, medium- and small-caliber direct and indirect-fire munitions, shaped charge warheads and propellants. It also manufactures precision metal components; and aerostructures in support of the tactical missile industry. More information on General Dynamics Ordnance and Tactical is available online at www.gd-ots.com.

General Dynamics, headquartered in Falls Church, Va., employs approximately 91,200 people worldwide. The company is a market leader in business aviation; land and expeditionary combat systems, armaments and munitions; shipbuilding and marine systems; and information systems and technologies. More information about General Dynamics is available online at www.generaldynamics.com.

CIOs from DHS, Social Security Administration, US Department of the Interior, US Department of Transportation to Speak at IDGA's IT Infrastructure for Defense and Government Event

Defense News: NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--IDGA announces its premiere IT Infrastructure for Defense and Government event, taking place at the Sheraton Premiere at Tysons Corner on June 7 - 9, 2010.

The conference is unique in that it features presentations from nine Chief Information Officers at the federal level. “It is extremely rare to have this many speakers of this caliber in the same room,” says Holly Schneider Brown, the program director. “Given the importance of IT overhaul for the government, the dialogue that will take place at this event will be one of the most important of the year.”

The conference will address the pressing need for major IT upgrades and enhancements in various agencies and government departments such as NASA, Veterans Affairs and the Social Security Administration. Emphasis will be placed on cost reduction, consolidation of infrastructure, cloud computing and case studies from various organizations. The IT Security Focus Day on Monday, June 7 will feature interactive workshops on IT security and information assurance.

As public sector IT systems age and are no longer able to meet requirements, the federal government plans to spend billions of dollars for their overhaul and modernization. For more information about the IT Infrastructure for Defense and Government event, visit the www.ITforDefense.com, download the brochure or call 1-800-882-8684. Additional IT information can be found in the event’s resource library.

The Institute for Defense & Government Advancement (IDGA) is a non-partisan information-based organization dedicated to the promotion of innovative ideas in public service and defense through live conferences and events. We bring together speaker panels and events comprised of military and government professionals while attracting delegates with decision-making power from military, government, and defense industries.

In addition to our live events, IDGA also offers an online community dedicated to providing defense industry professionals with breaking news, business opportunities, introductions, podcasts, webinars, and presentations from key industry leaders. Members of our online community are able to extend their live event experience and interact with the defense industry by leveraging the opportunity to network, share ideas, best practices, and business solutions.

Defense News: TOPEKA, Kan., April 30 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- The BoeingCompany (NYSE:BA - News) today announced that Kansas will benefit from approximately 7,500 jobs and an estimated $388 million in annual economic impact if the Boeing NewGen Tanker is selected as the U.S. Air Force's next aerial refueling aircraft.

"The national recession has hit the aviation industry hard, with thousands of Kansans out of work," said Gov. Mark Parkinson. "The jobs from this contract can provide meaningful economic recovery to our state and country. The delays on this project have been frustrating, and unnecessary. I urge our military leaders to act swiftly and award this contract to Boeing. It's time we bring these jobs home to Kansas."

"I am confident that the Air Force will select Boeing to build its new tanker because I know the strength of theKansas work force. Our workers will provide the skills and expertise that a new generation of airmen will depend on to keep America secure," said U.S. Sen. Sam Brownback. "I am excited for Boeing to win the contract and get these tankers rolling off of the line, and excited that we are working together to create new jobs in Kansas and grow the Kansas economy."

"This announcement today confirms what we all know to be true, that Boeing will make the best next-generation aerial refueling tanker. Boeing's proposal is based on a proven platform founded on the expertise of a well-established pool of skilled workers," said U.S. Sen. Pat Roberts. "The tanker proposal must be based on a level playing field and not construed to accommodate the business needs of an illegally subsidized company at the sacrifice of American servicemembers."

"While unemployment remains high and our economy is still sluggish, nothing is more welcome news than a possible 7,500 jobs coming to Kansas. An American tanker should be built by an American company with American workers – and that is the Boeing 767 – made by our highly skilled workers here in Kansas," said U.S. Congressman Todd Tiahrt. "I will continue to press the Pentagon for a fair and level playing field for our American workers. With an equal competition, there is no doubt that U.S. workers can compete and win this tanker contract. I look forward to seeing these high-quality jobs come home to the Sunflower State very soon."

Boeing employees working at the Wichita, Kan., site will play an important role in modifying commercial 767 airplanes into NewGen military tankers if the company is selected for the contract. This is highly skilled work that Boeing workers in Kansas know well, having performed similar modifications in recent years on eight 767 tankers for Japan and Italy.

In addition to the 2,586 Boeing employees in Kansas, the company also works with 464 suppliers/vendors around the state, resulting in an estimated $3 billion in annual economic impact and supporting an estimated 125,000 direct and indirect Kansas jobs.

Some of the other Kansas manufacturers ready to produce critical components on the NewGen Tanker include:

Spirit Aerosystems, Wichita – forward fuselage section

Kaman Aerostructures, Wichita – mechanical components

Machining Specialists, Wichita – machined metal parts

McGinty Machine Co., Wichita – precision-machined metal parts.

The NewGen Tanker is a widebody, multi-mission aircraft based on the proven Boeing 767 commercial airplane and updated with the latest and most advanced technology. Capable of fulfilling the Air Force's needs for transport of fuel, cargo, passengers and patients, the combat-ready NewGen Tanker is being offered as a replacement for 179 KC-135 aircraft. Boeing is writing a proposal to meet or exceed the 372 mandatory requirements described in the service's final KC-X Request for Proposal released on Feb. 24. The Air Force is expected to award a contract later this year.

The NewGen Tanker will be made with a low-risk approach to manufacturing that relies on existing Boeingfacilities in Washington state and Kansas as well as U.S. suppliers throughout the nation, with decades of experience delivering dependable military tanker and derivative aircraft. Nationwide, the NewGen Tanker program will support approximately 50,000 total U.S. jobs with Boeing and more than 800 suppliers in more than 40 states.

The Boeing NewGen Tanker also will be more cost-effective to own and operate than a larger, heavier tanker. It will save American taxpayers more than $10 billion in fuel costs over its 40-year service life because it burns 24 percent less fuel than the competitor's airplane.

Boeing has been designing, building, modifying and supporting tankers for decades. These include the KC-135 that will be replaced in the KC-X competition, and the KC-10 fleet. The company also has delivered four KC-767Js to the Japan Air Self-Defense Force and is on contract to deliver four KC-767s to the Italian Air Force. Three of the four Italian tankers are in flight test, with the fourth airplane in production.

A unit of The Boeing Company, Boeing Defense, Space & Security (www.boeing.com/bds) is one of the world's largest defense, space and security businesses specializing in innovative and capabilities-driven customer solutions, and the world's largest and most versatile manufacturer of military aircraft. Headquartered in St. Louis, Boeing Defense, Space & Security is a $34 billion business with 68,000 employees worldwide.

Dean Bradley, the CEO of Quasar Aerospace Industries, Inc., announces that QASP, with two other partners, has acquired the rights to purchase $150+ million worth of helicopter spare parts for $15 million. These spare parts will be shipped from their present location to the Jacksonville, FL area and sold/distributed worldwide over the next 5-7 years. QASP will control 51% of the venture and recapture its $15 million investment plus interest prior to any distribution of profits. Our partners have worked for five years obtaining the US State Department approval which is now in hand.

The funding is in our bank for closing Acquisition #3, which will occur the 6th of May in our conference room at Herlong Airport. The effective date of our takeover is May 1st. The details and name will be disclosed in a PR that afternoon.

This press release contains "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended and such forward-looking statements are made pursuant to the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. You are cautioned that such statements are subject to a multitude of risks and uncertainties that could cause future circumstances, events, or results to differ materially from those projected in the forward-looking statements as a result of various factors, and other risks. You should consider these factors in evaluating the forward-looking statements included herein, and not place undue reliance on such statements. The forward-looking statements in this release are made as of the date hereof and Quasar Aerospace Industries, Inc. under take no obligation to update such statements.

Defense News: WASHINGTON, April 30 (Reuters) - The Obama administration needs better controls to prevent waste and fraud as it asks Congress for an additional $20 billion to speed up rebuilding efforts in Afghanistan, U.S. auditors said on Friday.

The budget request, which covers the 2011 fiscal year and 2010 supplemental funding, is a 38 percent increase over the nearly $51.5 billion that Congress has already allocated for Afghanistan's reconstruction since 2002.

FILE - In this April 15, 2010 file photo, U.S. soldiers arrive at the scene after a car bomb exploded outside a hotel in the southern Afghan city of Kandahar. TheTaliban are moving fighters into Kandahar, planting bombs and plotting attacks as NATO and Afghan forces prepare for a summer showdown with insurgents, according to a Taliban commander with close ties to senior insurgent leaders. NATO and Afghan forces are stepping up operations to push Taliban fighters out of the city, which was the Islamist movement's headquarters during the years it ruled most of Afghanistan.

"United States' agencies need to pay more attention to oversight and they need to pay more attention to increasing the capacities of the Afghan agencies to provide oversight," John Brummet, acting deputy special inspector general for Afghanistan reconstruction, told Reuters.

In a bid to boost Afghanistan's own capacity, the Obama administration plans to funnel much of the new money directly through the Afghan government, which has been repeatedly accused of corruption and mismanagement of donor funds.

Two recent U.S. inspections of Afghanistan's anti-corruption office as well as the key agency responsible for auditing public finances, found both lacked the independence and qualified staff to do the job, said a quarterly report filed by the special inspector general's office to Congress on Friday.

"Without proper and intense oversight, our contributions to rebuild Afghanistan can easily be exposed to waste, fraud and abuse," said Arnold Fields, the chief inspector.

Recent audits by his office reflect similar problems found during the Bush administration when it spent tens of billions of dollars rebuilding Iraq and oversight was seen as sub-par.

"I think there have been some of the same mistakes. One of the differences in Afghanistan, compared to Iraq, is that the capacity of the Afghan government is weak and needs to be strengthened," Brummet said.

SECURITY FOCUS

Included in Obama's 2011 budget request is $11.6 billion to train, equip and mentor Afghanistan's security forces as well as $3.3 billion for government and development programs.

Overall, nearly 70 percent of reconstruction budget requests are to bolster Afghan security forces, whose competence is key for U.S. forces to begin leaving as planned from July 2011.

The goal is for Afghan security forces to reach a target of 300,000 personnel in 2011. But U.S. auditors complained of a lack of a master plan to build facilities to house this expanding military.

Audits released separately on Friday criticized two new garrisons being funded by U.S. taxpayers, finding "significant" problems and a lack of quality assurance for the buildings.

In inspections of a garrison in the northern province of Kunduz being managed by U.S. company DynCorp (DCP.N), auditors found serious deficiencies in the work, including severe settling of soil that was causing walls to crack and lean.

In addition, the first phase of the project was more than 20 months behind schedule and the second phase more delayed.

The quarterly report said 19 criminal cases had been conducted of U.S. taxpayer funds used in Afghanistan, resulting in the recovery of $2 million so far. Some 42 cases were under investigation, the report said.

In another case, a U.S. Navy employee working in a contract office in Kabul admitted taking $10,000 in bribes to influence the award of U.S. fuel and construction contracts. The Navy had taken disciplinary action, the report said, without giving details. (Editing by Xavier Briand)

For the second consecutive year, the nominees of GAMCO Asset Management failed to win a board seat.

President and Chief Executive Officer John C. Orr said, “Our actions and operating strategies are clearly focused on creating sustainable growth in our markets and value for all shareholders. I believe that the overwhelming election of our board’s nominees by shareholders at the annual meeting today signals our shareholders’ confidence in our strategic direction, performance and growth potential.”

Also at the Annual Meeting, shareholders ratified the appointment of KPMG LLP as the Company’s independent registered public accounting firm for fiscal 2010.

About Myers Industries

Myers Industries, Inc. is an international manufacturer of polymer products for industrial, agricultural, automotive, commercial and consumer markets. The Company is also the largest wholesale distributor of tools, equipment and supplies for the tire, wheel and undervehicle service industry in the U.S. The Company reported net sales from continuing operations of $701.8 million in 2009. Visit www.myersind.com to learn more.

Caution on Forward-Looking Statements: Statements in this release may include “forward-looking” statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Any statement that is not of historical fact may be deemed "forward-looking." Words such as “expect,” “believe,” “project,” “plan,” “anticipate,” “intend,” “objective,” “goal,” “view,” and similar expressions identify forward-looking statements. These statements are based on management’s current views and assumptions of future events and financial performance and involve a number of risks and uncertainties, many outside of the Company's control, that could cause actual results to materially differ from those expressed or implied. Risks and uncertainties include: changes in the markets for the Company’s business segments; changes in trends and demands in the markets in which the Company competes; unanticipated downturn in business relationships with customers or their purchases; competitive pressures on sales and pricing; raw material availability, increases in raw material costs, or other production costs; future economic and financial conditions in the United States and around the world; ability to weather the current economic downturn; inability of the Company to meet future capital requirements; claims, litigation and regulatory actions against the Company; changes in laws and regulations affecting the Company; the Company’s ability to execute the components of its Strategic Business Evolution process; and other risks as detailed in the Company’s 10-K and other reports filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Such reports are available from the Securities and Exchange Commission’s public reference facilities and its web site at http://www.sec.gov, and from the Company’s Investor Relations section of its web site, at http://www.myersindustries.com. Myers Industries undertakes no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements contained herein. These statements speak only as of the date made.